Joey Syta was born in Rochester, NY and lives in New York City. He earned his BA in film and video at The Pennsylvania State University and was granted admission into the Dieter Roth Academy by Pétur Kristjánsson during his residency with the Skaftfell Center for Visual Art in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland. The Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den is the culmination of his summer residency with the Chinese European Art Center in Xiamen, China.